Our eldest brother never hides good things from us.

Chang Wen had no idea what his junior brothers and sisters were thinking; he was completely absorbed in the system's feedback.

[You invest one mid-grade spirit stone in Chen Changsheng, and you will receive ten mid-grade spirit stones in return.]

[You invest one mid-grade spirit stone in Chu Xinghe, and you will receive ten mid-grade spirit stones in return.]

[You invest one mid-grade spirit stone in Shen Nianqing, and you will receive ten mid-grade spirit stones in return.]

[You invest one mid-grade spirit stone in Lin Yuan, and you will receive ten mid-grade spirit stones in return.]

[You invest one mid-grade spirit stone in Su Xiaoman, and you will receive ten years of cultivation in return.]

"Haha, finally it's not a guaranteed minimum!"

After investing for five whole days, I finally encountered a different kind of return: ten years of cultivation!

"Let me see what's going on."

In your first year, you didn't rush to break through, but instead started sensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from scratch. Body tempering is about refining the physical body, while Qi refining is about guiding spiritual energy into the body and opening up the meridians. You patiently practiced the breathing technique again and again, spending more than half a year to get the spiritual energy circulating smoothly in your meridians. At the end of the year, spiritual mist finally gathered in your dantian, and you officially stepped into the Qi refining realm.

[In the second year, the daily routine of cultivation was unbearably monotonous. Meditation, breathing exercises, and circulating the energy through the body—the spiritual mist gradually thickened, and the meridians were repeatedly washed and widened by the spiritual energy. It felt like playing a simulation game, with each login consisting of the same repetitive actions. Fortunately, the foundation laid during the Body Tempering stage was solid, and the meridians' resilience far exceeded that of others at the same level, allowing for a successful breakthrough to the third level of Qi Refining by the end of the year.]

[In the third year, you encountered a bottleneck between the third and fourth levels of Qi Refining. The spiritual mist began to transform into a liquid state, requiring the spiritual energy to be compressed to a certain density. You were stuck for a full six months; the spiritual mist in your dantian was extremely thick, but you still couldn't condense spiritual liquid. You exerted all your strength and forcibly compressed it. Your dantian suddenly trembled, and spiritual liquid finally condensed at the center of the spiritual mist. You successfully reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.]

……

[In the seventh year, your cultivation steadily progressed to the ninth level of Qi Refining, just one step away from perfection. However, this step was far more difficult than expected, requiring you to compress the spiritual liquid to its limit. You didn't rush to break through the barrier, but instead began repeatedly refining the purity of the spiritual liquid, making each drop as thick and substantial as molten mercury. Your Dao heart was also honed and tempered into a more steadfast state through day-to-day cultivation.]

[In the eighth year, the threshold of Foundation Establishment finally appeared before you. After perfecting Qi Refining, your meridians were fully connected, and your spiritual fluids were abundant; you were just one step away from success. But you dared not take that step lightly. Foundation Establishment is the first insurmountable barrier on the path of cultivation. Failing to break through to Foundation Establishment after perfecting Qi Refining can result in anything from a decline in cultivation level to damage to your meridians. You spent over half a year adjusting your state, nurturing your essence, Qi, and spirit to their peak, and then, in one fell swoop, drew all the spiritual fluids in your body towards the center of your dantian. Under extreme pressure, the spiritual fluids began to crystallize, and you successfully established your Foundation.]

[Ninth year. After Foundation Establishment, you stepped into the threshold of cultivation. From the first to the third level of Foundation Establishment, each level requires increasing the size of the spiritual liquid vortex. With previous experience, you calmly and steadily solidified your foundation. Your spells have also been completely upgraded; your Foundation Establishment spiritual power can support powerful spells. You mastered sword control and protective qi one by one, making your combat abilities several times greater than those of the Qi Refining stage.]

[The tenth year has passed, and your accumulated strength has finally blossomed. The foundation laid over the previous nine years has now been fully unleashed. You have broken through from the third level of Foundation Establishment all the way to the late stage, and then finally broke through the bottleneck at the last moment. The nine vortexes of spiritual energy in your Qi Sea have merged into one, transforming into a vast spiritual lake. At this moment, you have officially become a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.]

"A moment is equivalent to ten years of hard work for an ordinary person. Breaking free from the old shackles, I finally know who I am today."

Chang Wen opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them. He raised his palm and observed it for a long time.

"Although the reward arrived instantly, ten years of hard training was not in vain. Not only did my strength increase, but it also calmed the restlessness in my heart."

"Besides the increase in strength, I've also gained some movement techniques and killing moves in my mind. Although they are simple moves, they are enough to deal with people of the same level."

"My divine sense can cover a radius of dozens of miles, but since my junior brothers and sisters are all on Haoran Peak, I'd better not release it recklessly. As the last person on Haoran Peak, it's always better to play it safe."

"Flying on a sword is second nature to me; I've mastered it so well that it saves me months of hard practice."

"I originally planned to collect red envelopes and keep accumulating them, but I didn't expect my strength to increase so dramatically. This gives me the ability to keep AFK. Well, that's fine too. I might as well save up a super deluxe red envelope; who knows, there might be some unexpected surprises."

Chang Wen made his decision and immediately stood up. He planned to continue investing in his junior fellow students, especially in Su Xiaoman.

"The last returned entry was 'Xiaoman' (Grain Buds), and this time it's 'Ten Years of Cultivation' (Grain Buds). It seems that investing in 'Xiaoman' has a higher success rate. I should invest more in it."

However, just as Chang Wen was about to continue investing, a bustling crowd suddenly came from outside Haoran Peak.

"Hmm? Haoran Peak is resource-scarce and has no contact with anyone. Why are so many people suddenly arriving?"

Chang Wen was puzzled and pushed open the door to walk into the courtyard.

Only then did they realize that there was already a large, dark crowd outside the courtyard.

The leader was none other than Han Xiao, who had lent him money at exorbitant interest rates.

"Senior Brother, they're here to collect a debt!"

Chu Xinghe, Chen Changsheng, Lin Yuan, and Su Xiaoman had already gathered at Chang Wen's door. As soon as Chang Wen came out, they immediately came to him.

"Collecting a debt? It hasn't even been twenty days since the loan was borrowed, why are they already collecting a debt?"

Chang Wen was puzzled.

"It must have been that brat Han Xiao who did this!"

Lin Yuan's anger was written all over his face, and he had an urge to devour Han Xiao, but fortunately Chang Wen held him back.

"Since Han Xiao lent me the money, he can collect interest simply by sitting back and doing nothing. There's no need for him to resort to underhanded tactics. It shouldn't be him. Let's go check it out."

Chang Wen patted Lin Yuan on the shoulder, stepped out of the courtyard, and came to Han Xiao and the others.

Lin Yuan and his three companions followed closely behind.

"Senior Brother Chang, I don't want this either, but the mineral output from Qionghua Peak hasn't been very good lately. So the elders in charge of the mines are all a bit short of funds. And the loan I lent you was borrowed from them; I really had no other choice..."

Han Xiao looked distressed.

Chang Wen instantly understood what had happened; it turned out that the problem lay with the lending shareholder.

It seems that it's best to avoid borrowing if possible. If he didn't have the system, the current situation would definitely be a big problem for him.

But now, he's too lazy to even investigate the reasons.

With his continuous investment, the number of spirit stones he possessed had long since reached 90,000, making him incredibly wealthy.

"Chang Wen, we're really short of funds. Just pay off the loan first. At a daily interest rate of 0.5%, you should repay 11,000 mid-grade spirit stones!"

"An elderly man in a gray robe said. Clearly, he was the representative of this fundraising operation."

Chang Wen remained silent.

Chen Changsheng and the other three behind him were also stunned.

Borrowing 10,000, it becomes 11,000 in less than 20 days?

No wonder it's loan sharking!

"It's alright, it doesn't matter if we can't pay it back. Your Haoran Peak has been dormant for years, there must be many natural spirit mines at the foot of the mountain, let us go and dig for a few days, it's the same!"

The gray-robed old man seemed to have anticipated Chang Wen's silence and went straight to the point.

Come to Haoran Peak and mine spirit ore!

Chang Wen frowned slightly. This gray-robed old man had come up with this plan in just a few breaths, clearly he had come prepared.

wrong!

Things are probably more complicated than he thought!